BREXIT tension threatens to boil over once again after the United Kingdom was shut out of the European Union’s Galileo satellite navigation system by voting member states.

Brexit news: UK shut out as members vote against Galileo delay (Image: GETTY)

Britain had hoped to delay the next round of contracts for the £8 billion project after the country’s firms were blocked from bidding on Galileo contracts in the hope negotiations would move on to allow British involvement.

However, EU member states have ganged up on Britain and voted to give the go-ahead for the next set of satellites in the bloc’s joint navigational system, designed to rival the US-Controlled global positioning system.

Science minister Sam Gyimah said the vote, that the European Space Agency oversaw, puts Britain’s future security relationship with the EU at risk.

The Conservative MP reaffirmed Britain’s willingness to go alone and create a rival system to the EU’s project.

It seems very odd, it’s completely out of whack with what they’ve been doing

UK Government official

He said: “The simple fact is that without full, fair and open industrial involvement, Galileo doesn't offer the UK value for money or meet our defence needs, so we would be obliged to walk away, resulting in delays and additional costs to the programme that will run into the billions.

“There is an option on the table that would benefit both the UK and EU. If that is not accepted by the EU, we are a proud and confident nation and will be looking at all alternatives.”

The UK and its businesses have played a vital role in the programme, contributing over £1 billion and much of the technical expertise. But, EU negotiators have said Britain cannot be involved in the project after Brexit.

Westminster is hoping for continued access to Galileo’s secure Public Regulated Service – an encrypted signal used by member states’ military and emergency services – but this has been refused by Brussels.

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British negotiators have threatened to completely ditch Galileo in favour of creating a domestic satellite navigation system. However, all of the Remaining EU27 have backed the European Commission’s insistence to treat the UK like any other non-EU country.

Michel Barnier’s negotiating task force released a fresh document on Wednesday that dismissed the UK’s demands to have access which is greater of what is on offer to third countries.

The publication reinforced Brussels mantra that Britain cannot enjoy the same benefits as a member state after leaving the EU.

The release accused the UK of attempting a “change of nature” of Galileo by shifting it into an international programme rather than an EU project.

Brussels said there would be a loss of “strategic autonomy” if it was to give the UK equal access to Galileo’s design and development of the secure PRS signal.

“Observer status” was a mutually agreed position which Brussels felt would be deserving of the UK Government, which would block Britain’s aerospace industry from accessing contracts for security elements of Galileo.

A UK Government source bemoaned the “stubborn” nature of the EU over the Galileo system, claiming the Commission has taken an entirely different approach to its normal strategy on the project.

They told Express.co.uk: “It seems very odd, it’s completely out of whack with what they’ve been doing – they’ve honed in on one thing without doing it on anything else.”

The official reaffirmed the “consequences” the EU would face if it was to eventually cut Britain out of Galileo. The significance of such a move would reverberate across the wider security partnership both parties are seeking to agree.

Failure to reach an agreement on security, which the UK Government will use Galileo access as an acid test in the future, could even mean life-saving intelligence may not be able to be shared between the UK and EU.

British taxpayers risk losing out on the £1bn spent on the Galileo system, which has prompted calls for the so-called Brexit divorce bill to be readdressed in order to reclaim money.